EFSA releases data on Monsanto's GM corn NK603

The European Union's risk assessment body for food and food safety said it has released on its website data on a type of genetically modified corn made by Monsanto Co. due to the level of public interest.

"While the authority has already made available these data upon specific request on several occasions, any member of the public or scientific community will now be able to examine and utilize the full data sets used in this risk assessment," the European Food Safety Authority said.

Many consumers in Europe remain skeptical about the use of genetically modified organisms, which are grown widely in such countries as the U.S. and Brazil. This particular corn, known as NK603, caused controversy last year when a study linked the crop to cancer in rats.

However, the EFSA ruled there was no need to re-evaluate the safety of NK603 as that study, by the University of Caen, had serious defects in its design and methodology.

"Risk assessment is an evolving science and the EFSA is always willing to review its past work should new robust science bring a new perspective to any of the authority's previous findings," the EFSA's Executive Director Catherine Geslain-Laneelle said Monday.

The initiative "will make the conclusions of risk assessments even stronger when ensuring public health protection and further build confidence in EFSA's work," she said.

The EFSA said the release of the NK603 data is part of a "continuing commitment to openness" and will "further enhance transparency in its decision-making processes."

The EU has authorized the import of about 40 genetically modified products, including NK603. However, only two genetically modified seeds have been approved for cultivation in the EU, Monsanto's MON810 corn and a starch potato called Amflora, developed by Germany's BASF SE.